Landmark Ontario Court Decision Expands Legal Rights for People Living in Encampments
Landmark Ontario Court Decision Expands Legal Rights for People Living in Encampments
A recent Ontario court decision could have major implications for how municipalities across Canada respond to homelessness and encampments.
Read the full blog post by law student Charles Lesperance
Two-Tier Tenancies: What B.C.’s Supportive Housing Bill Could Mean for Nova Scotian Tenants
Across Canada, supportive, long-term housing is expanding quickly - and in the middle of a housing crisis, that should be a positive development. But recent changes proposed in British Columbia raise a more complicated question: What kind of housing are we creating, and do people in supportive housing deserve the same rights as other tenants?
The changes in BC suggest that government's answer may increasingly be “no”.
Out of Institutions - but Into What? What the U.S. Can Teach Nova Scotia About Disability Rights
Out of Institutions - but Into What? What the U.S. Can Teach Nova Scotia About Disability Rights
Keeping disabled people housed in long-term care institutions has long been a matter of policy in both the US and Canada. But just because a government has done something a for a long time does not make it lawful. Read here how The Remedy in Nova Scotia is playing out and what we can learn 30 years after the Olmstead decision in the US.
Recent Decisions We’re Watching
Here are some recent decisions we’re watching - both at home in Nova Scotia and across Canada!
Nova Scotia Rents Increasing Faster than National Average, Despite Rising Vacancy Rate
The newly released 2025 CMHC Rental Market Report reveals that Halifax continues to face severe rental affordability challenges, with average rents rising 6.7% - outpacing both inflation and the national average of 5.1%. These increases occurred despite a higher vacancy rate, showing that new construction alone is not solving Nova Scotia’s rental crisis.
Westphal Court Ltd. v. Herd: Court Steps in to Strike Down Unfair Landlord Rules and Uphold Tenants’ Rights
“Rules” or “policies” on paper can be intimidating, especially when they are from someone with power or authority, like a landlord or even a government. However, just because something is written on paper doesn’t make it reasonable, let alone legal. That is what the court confirmed in Westphal Court Ltd. v. Herd, 2025 NSSC 185, by striking down an unfair landlord rule as well as part of a Residential Tenancies Program policy.
Full Emails Obtained via FOIPOP Request
DLAS Publishing Full Emails Obtained via FOIPOP Request
Emails reveal details about legislative decision making and the level of access to Ministers and law makers by landlord groups
The Residential Tenancies Program has more data than we previously thought
In March 2025, Dal Legal Aid submitted a Freedom of Information Request for all emails between senior management at Service Nova Scotia and the Investment Property Owners Association of NS (now Rental Housing Providers NS).
What we received raises questions about who does and who doesn’t get access to information about renting in Nova Scotia.
Emails show the Residential Tenancies Program is keeping track of more data than previously thought. And they’re regularly sending them to the Rental Housing Providers NS.
We are calling on the Province to regularly publish data collected from the Residential Tenancies Program.
The department says they compile data every week, so why isn’t it made public?
We deserve a government that provides transparency for everyone - not just the rich and powerful
